Bluffton officials oppose new Hampton Parkway plan; Stewart blasts them for 'misrepresenting' it

The original plan for Hampton Parkway is shown here, except a section connecting the Island West neighborhood to Island West Park isn't shown. Councilman Jerry Stewart's plan would move a traffic signal currently planned for the intersection of the blue line with U.S. 278 to the intersection of Island West Park and U.S. 278. He would route the blue line through Island West Park instead.

The town of Bluffton yet again finds itself in a disagreement with Beaufort County over the plans for a road project.

At Tuesday’s Town Council meeting, Bluffton’s engineering department came out against changes proposed by a county councilman to a plan that provides access to U.S. 278 for the areas around Hampton Parkway and Island West with a signalized intersection.

The original plans, which the town supports, call for a new road segment connecting Island West’s Sea Island Drive to Island West Park, home to Stokes Brown Toyota of Hilton Head, and a second segment behind the dealership connecting to a section of road at U.S. 278 that will one day connect to Hampton Parkway. That plan includes a traffic signal where the as-yet unconstructed section from Hampton Parkway connects to U.S. 278.

A new plan presented by Councilman Jerry Stewart of Sun City last month would keep the segment connecting Island West to Island West Park but install the traffic signal where Island West Park meets U.S. 278. He proposed connecting the new segment jutting out from Hampton Parkway with Island West Park to allow signalized access for neighborhoods directly south.

But town transportation engineer Karen Jarrett argued the original plan was settled a decade ago for optimum distance between traffic signals, that the new section coming off Hampton Parkway was chosen because it provides possibilities for a four-lane road with a median and the landowner who agreed to pay for the new section and traffic signal in 2005 upon development could file a lawsuit.

That 2005 agreement, an amendment to the Buckwalter-area development, includes a provision granting rights to build across the property based on the original plan.

Additionally, Jarrett said, the county isolates the neighborhoods off Hampton Parkway from access.

“In the long run, it doesn’t save money and we don’t get a four-lane connector road,” she said.

But Stewart, reached by phone after the meeting, accused the town of spreading misinformation. He reiterated that his plan would route the new section of Hampton Parkway through Island West Park instead of terminating at U.S. 278.

“Before they start shooting down and misrepresenting what’s being proposed, they should have the decency to ask to see the plan,” he said.

He added that the landowner, the Harris Teeter supermarket chain, shows no interest in developing anytime soon and his proposal saves money by reducing the length of road needed to give access to U.S. 278 for Island West, which supports the plan as long as it doesn’t result in significant delay. Constructing any portions of the new segment off Hampton Parkway before the developer is ready to build requires purchasing the rights, which adds to the costs, Stewart said.

“We’re accomplishing what we are trying to accomplish at far less cost,” he said. “We don’t have to build nearly as much road and a good bit of the road is already there.”

Jarrett said the county has indicated in the past that it already intended to purchase the rights to build at least the northern-most segment of the new Hampton Parkway section to begin implementing the existing intersection plan.

County Council approved $800,000 in penny-sales-tax revenue for the project last April.

Jarrett added that she thinks the old plan is better for the Graves’ family’s property directly across U.S. 278 because it provides corners with better development potential.

County Planning Commission endorsed their effort to introduce greater commercial development on that land earlier this month.

Graves Road lines up directly with Island West Park, which Stewart previously cited as another reason for his plan, arguing it makes more sense to install a light at an intersection with another road on the opposite side.

The Hampton Parkway realignment will enter into discussions at Monday’s County Council Public Facilities meeting, though Stewart said it’s not certain county engineers will be ready to deliver a report on his plan by that time. Bluffton Town Council supported dispatching staff to argue the town’s case.

Also during that meeting Council is also expected to begin discussing the Bluffton Parkway Phase 5b realignment the town proposed in 2011, years after the county’s plan cleared environmental assessments.

In other action, Town Council:

•Approved a seven-member panel called the Public Safety Citizens Committee, which will assist police in special events, establish a system of communication with homeowners’ associations, develop public safety education programs and other duties.

•Authorized a $48,000 budget for Bluffton’s citizen-led Beautification Committee that includes $5,000 from the general fund and $20,000 from another town fund consisting of fees from developers offsetting tree removal from construction. The rest comes from grants and accommodations tax money.

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